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(No Model.)

H. O. SPALDING.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING UNDERGROUND LINES OF ELECTRICAL GONDUGTORS. No.'32'7,478. fig Patented Se h 29, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. SPALDING, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING UNDERGROUND LINES OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,478, dated September 29, 1885.

Application filed April 10. 1882.

appliances which I have found it necessary to devise in order to conveniently and expeditiously lay underground lines of electric conducting-wires in accordance wit-h the system described in an application filed by me Be cember 3, 1881. Under that system the wires are laid in a pipe, each length of which is composed of a top and a bottom section. The wires are laid while the bottom section is uncovered, and are held in guide-blocks composed of longitudinal]y-grooved superposed segments. The top section is then fitted into place upon the bottom section, and the interior of this length of pipe is filled with a liquid non-conducting composition which becomes hard when it cools. In laying wires in this manner I find it essential to have, first, a carriage which contains the spools of wire; second, a perforated guide-disk to straighten bent wires and to maintain the wires at suitable distances from one another and'lthe walls of the pipe; and, third, a clamping-guide, which serves to give direction to the wires, and also to prevent them from becoming slack in the pipe after they are once hauled taut.

These appliances are represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the carriage, with wires leading therefrom to a line in prooess of construction. Fig. 2 is aplan of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are a side elevation and section, respectively, of one of the spools. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the clampingguide. Figs. 6 and 7 are front and side elevations of the perforated disk.

The perforated disk at is of a diameter about equal to the internal diameter of the pipe A B. It stands in the open lower half, A, of the pipe-length, and the wires pass through the perforations in it. It acts to straighten bent wires, and also to maintain each wire of the group or series at asuitable distance from its fellows and from the walls of the pipe, and in this way the grooved superposed segments,

Renewed February 28, 1885.

(No model.)

which are put in the pipe at intervals to form blocks for supporting the wires, can be inserted into proper place, each taking its own lay er of wires, which are thus confined in their own respective grooves in the blocks until the upper half, 13, of the pipe is placed in position and locked down upon the blocks. After this is done the perforated guide-disk is slid forward upon the wires until it reaches the next coupling, where the operation is repeated. This disk should be of tempered steel.

The clamping-guide b is designed to lie against the end of the uncovered lower half of the pipe, and should be of such weight, or be provided with such anchoring appliances, as to prevent it from being lifted accidentally by the tension of the wires leading from the carriage to the trench in which the pipe is laid. It is composed of flat bars of steel laid up in a pile, and grooved on their contiguous faces, so that when put together there will be a se ries of perforations extending through the guide for the passage of the wires. The grooves should be of a depth to form holes which have a less diameter vertically than the diameter of the wires passing through them. In this way the several bars will rest upon and clamp the wires. instead of resting on one another. A. bolthole is drilled at each end of the guide from top to bottom of the pile, and in these holes are inserted headed bolts 0, whose screw-threaded upper ends receive clampiugnuts d, provided with leverhandles, as shown in Fig. 5, by which means the whole pile can be forced tightly together, so as to clamp most firmly the wires. The clamp-guide is loose until the wires strung along in the open pipe-section are hauled taut. It is then set up against the front end of the section, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the nuts are screwed down,so as to cause the wires to be tightly clamped. Under these conditions any tendency of the wires to recover from the tension to which they have been sub jected will only have the effect to draw the clamp-guide the more tightly against the front end of the pipe. Thus the wires are held stretched and in position until the pipe is finally closed by the locking down of the upper section upon the lower section and the segmental guide-blocks within.

The carriage G is represented as on wheels;

but it may be on runners, i if desired. It spans the trench in which the pipe is contained, and should be placed at some distance in advance of the point where the wires are being laid. It carries the spools D which contaiuthewire. Thespoolsareinountedondrums E, which are attached to spindles or axles F, that lie in open bearings formed for them in the carriage-frame. Guides 6 are provided at the rear of the carriage, so that wires from the spools in the upper tiers can be prevented from colliding or becoming intertu ined with wires from the lower tier of spools.

Each spool is provided with a brake or detent of suitable character, as indicated at f, by means of which it can be held stationary when it is necessary to move the carriage forward so as to draw the wires taut.

Ashaft or winding-drum, carrying a rope or chain, h, is mounted on the carriage and provided with a crank-handle, i, and a suitable detent, such as pawl and ratchet. anchoring the outer end of the rope and revolving the drum the carriage can be drawn forward, so as to stretch taut the wires. Each spool is made of cast-iron, and consists of two flanges united by an annularweb, asindicated in Fig. 4. They are all cast of a size,so as to be interchangeable on the drum E. Each drum E is provided on one side with a pcripheral rib, j, and on the other side with turn-buttons k, which latter, when the spool is placed on the drum and pushed up against the rib j, serve to clamp and hold the spool in place.

The manner in which the appliances herein described are used eonjointly in the process of laying the wires has been sufficiently indicated in the course of this specification, and requires no further description.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. As a means for laying and stretching wires in underground-conduits the combination, with the traveling reel or spool-holding carriage, of the perforated guide-disk constructed and adapted to be used in conjunction with the wires and their inclosing-pipe, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the traveling reel or spool-holding carriage, of the clampingguidecomposed ofa pile ofsuperposed grooved bars, and means for clamping the same to gether, these devices being constructed and adapted for co-operative use in laying and stretching the wires in an underground conduit, substantially as herein set forth.

8. The spool-holding carriage, combined with the spools, their guides and supporting arms or axles, and the draft mechanism for stretching the wires when laid, and arranged and adjusted to be used in connection with the wire-clamping guide and wires, as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of April, A. D. 1882.

H. O. SPALDING.

Witnesses:

Ewn LL A. DICK, P. B. DONIG. 

